


Sheepish

by Aushina



Series: The Zodiac Spell [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Before Silencer, F/F, F/M, Mild Angst, Spoilers for Antibug, Spoilers for Zombizou, spoilers for Despair Bear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-03-06 12:25:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18851032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aushina/pseuds/Aushina
Summary: Cat Noir's visit, along with Adrien's continued vigilance, leaves Marinette feeling confused. At a band practice for Kitty Section, Chloé once again causes an akumatization.





	1. Band Practice

**Author's Note:**

> This hasn't been read by Rox yet nor is it finished, but I wanted to get something out since it's been a while.

A weird feeling flutters in Marinette's stomach as she walks through the streets of Paris. Though she still loves Adrien, part of her heart beats faster around Luka. Her feelings for Luka are still pretty superficial compared to her feelings for Adrien, but it gets confusing when both Adrien and Luka are together. She'd learned that when on that double-date with Kagami. Now she's about to experience this again. Kitty Section is having their first practice that Adrien can attend since the music festival. For the next few hours, Marinette is going to have to sit through her divided heart pulling her in two directions. On top of all that, Marinette's last conversation with Cat Noir still bothers her.

Oh well. At least Alya will be there.

To help distract herself from her jumbled emotions, Marinette had also invited Évrard at their last study session. Introducing him to the others will give her something to focus on until the band actually starts playing. After that, both of the boys will be too concerned with playing to pay attention to Marinette and she can just listen to the music.

When she finally reaches the river, Marinette takes a deep breath to steady herself. She replaces the worried expression on her face with an excited one--which, considering how much she's looking forward to watching her friends practice, this isn't hard to do--and takes the last turn. The houseboat, Liberty, comes into view. Rose, Juleka, and Luka are already there setting up. Alya and Nino are talking together on the road next to the boat. The only ones not here yet are Adrien, Évrard, and herself. Marinette picks up the pace.

Alya spots her first and waves to her as she comes close. "Hey, Marinette. You're actually on time for once."

Marinette flushes, glaring at her friend. "I'm not always late."

"Didn't you get grounded once for missing class?" Alya asks.

"That's not the same thing," Marinette protests.

"It is weird though," Nino states. "You've never had this much problem with attendance before. And you live right next to the school."

Alya glances at her boyfriend in surprise. "Really? What happened?"

Nino shrugs. "She was a lot quieter back then too. Not as sociable and not as willing to stand up to Chloé."

"Guys," Marinette pipes up, "I'm still here."

Nino, at least, has the decency to look bashful. "Sorry, dude."

Marinette shakes her head. "It's fine. You're not wrong. I've changed a lot this year."

Alya wraps her arm around her friend's shoulders. "I'm glad you've grown more confident. Someone needs to stand up to Chloé."

The young designer grins. "I think you could handle her just fine on your own."

"Yeah," the girl agrees. "But it's more fun with a friend."

They laugh together. By now, Rose has noticed Marinette's arrival and calls a greeting. Marinette looks over to wave back when her eyes meet Luka's. She gives a timid smile and her wave is small. Luka grins, nodding back toward her. Alya jolts Marinette playfully.

"That compass is going to go really crazy today, isn't it?" she says under her breath.

Marinette groans and pushes Alya off of her.

Nino looks between the two of them. "What about a compass?"

The reporter just rolls her eyes before taking his hand. "Don't worry about it." She leads Nino across the gangplank to help with set up.

Marinette moves to join them when movement catches her eye. Évrard has arrived, and with him is a boy she doesn't recognize. The boy is taller than Évrard. Though they have a similar body type, the other boy is obviously the more athletic of the two. A prominent nose draws attention away from his blue eyes. Rich black hair reminding Marinette of Watchdog frames his face.

"This is Marek," Évrard introduces. "I was hoping that it would be alright if I brought a friend."

"That's fine," Marinette answers. She holds out her hand to Marek. "I'm Marinette, nice to meet you."

Marek takes her hand and, instead of shaking it, he bows over it. "So you're the lovely Marinette." He releases her hand and slightly slaps Évrard on the shoulder. "Thank you for helping him with his English."

A flash of familiarity causes her to blink in surprise. "Oh, no-no problem. Happy to help. Er... let me introduce you to everyone else." Marinette waves them to follow her. The three step onto the boat. "Everyone, this is Évrard and his friend Marek. They wanted to watch practice as well."

Rose speaks up from where she's fiddling with the microphone. "Oh, is Évrard the kid you're tutoring?" Marinette nods. The blonde singer walks over, her hand extended. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Rose." They shake hands as Juleka walks over. She mumbles a greeting that Évrard somehow manages to make out and the two girls go back to setting up.

"And I'm Alya, Marinette's best friend," the young reporter announces. "This here is Nino."

While they talk, Luka walks up to Marinette. "Hey, how're you doing? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Oh, I've been doing fine. A little busier than I'd like." Designing and making two dresses, school, superhero-ing, and tutoring on top of all that hasn't given her a lot of time to rest. "But what about you?"

Luka shrugs. "Same. I've almost finished a song if you want to hear it after practice?"

"Sounds good. What's the song about?" Marinette answers.

His response is cut off by a sharp voice. "I can't believe your band practices here!"

"Who's that?" Luka wonders.

Marinette groans. "Chloé."

Adrien leads the way onto the boat, Chloé close behind him. "Well, Juleka's mom lets us practice here. They have all the equipment. There aren't neighbors around to complain if we get too loud. It just makes sense."

"But it's so-so messy," Chloé complains.

Luka laughs. "That's just how Mom likes it. Don't worry though, it never gets more than cluttered."

Chloé glares at the guitarist. "And who are you?"

The boy steps forward, his hand extended. "Name's Luka. I'm Juleka's brother and I play guitar in the band. I guess you're here to watch us practice?"

The girl in yellow scoffs. "Oh no. I've come to offer my lovely voice to the band." Chloé leans into Adrien. He edges back slightly but doesn't step away, not wanting her to fall. "Only the best for Adrien's band, right?"

Marinette interjects, "But Rose is the singer."

Chloé turns her gaze to the girl, sizing her up as if the designer had just appeared from nowhere. Chloé smiles sickly-sweet. "But of course. I don't want to take Rose's position from her, I'm just suggesting that the band have two singers."

"Hmm." Marinette nods, unconvinced.

Adrien grabs onto Chloé's shoulders, a strained grin already on his face. "How about you just watch this time, Chlo? You can ask Rose and Juleka about joining afterward."

"Fine," she sighs. "Anything for you, Adrikins." Chloé pecks Adrien on the cheek before sauntering off to find a place to sit. Her expression changes to one of disgust as she over-exaggeratedly picks her way through the slight mess on the deck.

"I'm sorry about her," Adrien says once the girl is far enough away. "I mentioned band practice when she tried to invite me out yesterday and she insisted on coming along."

Luka shakes his head. "It's fine. I'm sure she means well."

Marinette makes a noise in disagreement. When the boys turn to her questioningly, she hurries to correct herself. "Chloé's been getting better. Ladybug trusts her enough to give her the Bee Miraculous, right?"

"That's true," Adrien comments. He gives Luka and Marinette a genuine smile. "Anyway, I'm glad I could come today."

"Yeah, I haven't seen you since the ice-rink," Luka replies. "How are things with Kagami?"

Adrien rubs his neck. "We've decided not to go on another date."

Luka tucks his hands into his pockets. "Oh? That's too bad. Why? If you don't mind me asking."

Marinette tries not to let her interest in the topic show. Adrien glances at Marinette, knowing his answer could hurt her. But she's crushing on Cat Noir, right? Who is still him, though she doesn't know that. Either way, he feels guilty as he says, "I like this other girl." A quiet gasp from Marinette causes him to pause. "I've liked her for a long time, but Kagami convinced me to 'change target.' At least for a while. Our date showed me that I'm not ready to let go of my feelings for this girl yet."

The way Adrien's eyes shine as he speaks about this 'other girl' breaks Marinette's heart. She bites her lips and clasps her hands together, her thumb rubbing her other hand unconsciously. Luka lays a hand on her shoulder.

"You should probably set up your keyboard. We're almost ready to start."

Adrien blinks. "Ah, sure." He makes his way over to the makeshift stage to set up, his face showing light guilt. He had hurt Marinette. Maybe she wasn't over him after all.

Luka angles into Marinette's line of sight, his hand still on her shoulder. "I take it you didn't know."

She nods. "I'm not surprised though. Of course he like someone else. I bet she's amazing." Marinette blinks back the beginning of tears. This feels different than when Adrien asked her to help with Kagami. Maybe because, as he said, she wasn't the one he really likes.

"She can't be any more amazing than you," Luka refutes.

Marinette shakes her head though a smile tugs at her lips. She meets the boy's eyes. "Thanks, Luka."


	2. Embarrassment

While Alya and Évrard discuss the Ladyblog, Nino occasionally adding to the conversation, Marek watches the band members as they move about the ship purposefully. Juleka stands on the other side of the deck tuning her guitar, Adrien checks the keyboard stand, Rose is messing with various cables, and Luka is leading Marinette toward a place to sit. At first, it looks like the girl who had come with Adrien is doing the same as Marek, but on closer observation, she's only watching Adrien.

Marek glances back at his friend who's still deep in conversation with Alya and Nino before approaching the blonde girl. "I take it you're also a model," he starts.

Chloé turns and raises an eyebrow. "No, I'm Chloé Bourgeois--the mayor's daughter. Though," she preens, "I totally could be if I really wanted to." She jerks her head back toward Marek. "Why?"

"Well," Marek grins, "you came with who appears to be Adrien Agreste, a famous model. With your looks and bearing, I assumed you were one as well."

She rolls her eyes. "Nice try, but I only have eyes for Adrikins." Her hard expression drops for a moment. "Thanks, though." Chloé focuses back on Adrien.

Marek shrugs. By now, the set up is done. Rose calls for the other members of the band to get on the stage, Luka taking a minute to say something to Marinette before joining them. Marek leaves Chloé to stand beside Évrard who, along with Alya and Nino, has moved to sit next to Marinette.

Alya leans conspiratorially over to Marinette. "So, what were you and Luka talking about."

The girl blushes and looks around. "I'll tell you later."

Alya grins a toothy fox grin. Though Marek doesn't know her well, he can guess that the reporter is waiting eagerly for the chance to pounce on her friend. Marek turns to Évrard to jokingly bemoan his missed chance with Marinette when the band starts playing. With a singer like Rose, Marek had expected the music to be pop or something like that, but what comes screaming out of the speakers is rock music. Quite aggressive rock at that, though the lyrics themselves, once Marek can hear them, are about what he thought they'd be.

Marinette, Alya, and Nino all appear unfazed--this not being their first time hearing the band. Évrard had jumped in surprise next to Marek. He nudges his more timid friend playfully, even as his own ears ring from the volume. Évrard laughs bashfully. Chloé clutches her ears with a vaguely nasty look on her face.

The band plays a few songs, Chloé's expression growing darker as time goes on. By the time Adrien finally asks for a break, the young heiress is livid. She storms up to Adrien to complain.

"This is the band you play in?" she hisses.

Rose hands Adrien a bottle of water. "Yeah, is there a problem?" he asks pointedly.

"This music is undignified, for one," Chloé snaps. "It's too loud, and what are those lyrics?"

Adrien takes a sip of his water. "I happen to like this kind of music," he replies when he's done. "And sure, it's a little loud, but that's why I brought up the lack of neighbors. The lyrics aren't really my thing, but Rose is the singer so it doesn't really bother me."

Chloé scoffs. "Well, I'm not singing this trash."

"You don't have to. You're not a part of the band," Adrien argues.

"But I want to be in the band with you," she whines.

Adrien pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "If you really want to, talk to Rose and Juleka." He feels bad pawning off Chloé on them, but he just wants to sit for a quiet moment before they continue with practice.

"I'll do that," she asserts, though it feels more like a threat. Chloé stalks off to talk to the two girls. "Hey, I want to talk to you about something." Her sudden arrive startles the couple. "I want to sing in your band."

"Um, if it's okay with Rose," Juleka mumbles.

Rose stares at Chloé with wide eyes. "Oh, like a duet?" she asks innocently. "I can get you a copy of the lyrics for you to look over."

Chloé studies the smaller girl. "For your least horrible song," she requests. Chloé hesitates before adding, "Please."

"Of course," Rose chirps. She slips away into the interior of the ships to hunt down a spare copy of the lyrics. While Chloé and Juleka wait for her return, Marek comes up to them.

"I heard you asking to join the band," he comments, sounding more like a question.

"Adrikin's band deserves the best voice," Chloé says as an answer.

"Well," Marek starts to Juleka, almost shyly. "It's been a while since I've played, but I know how to play the oboe. I'm not asking to join, but I think it would be fun to play with you guys every now and then. If that's okay?"

Juleka grins. "There might be one around here somewhere. Let me go look." The darker girl peels away to go look for the instrument.

Chloé turns to Marek. "An oboe? In a rock band?"

Marek shrugs. "I'm not joining. Besides, it might actually sound good."

Chloé rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything more. The two girls eventually come back with a lyric sheet for Chloé and an old oboe and sheet music for Marek.

"It hasn't been played in a while, but it's clean," Juleka explains as she hands it to the boy.

"There wasn't any sheet music for our songs for oboe, either," Rose states apologetically. "But hopefully you'll be able to practice with this sheet music until we can make some."

"Thanks," Marek replies. "But don't go to too much trouble for me. It'll be fun just to play again."

Nervously, with two girls watching him, Chloé absorbed with looking judgmentally over the lyrics, Marek sets the sheet music down where he can see it and still play. He fiddles with the oboe, making sure all the keys work. Glancing over the sheet music, Marek brings the oboe to his lips and attempts to play the song. It's not terrible, but it's evident that he hasn't played in a long time.

"That wasn't bad," Rose encourages. Juleka nods in agreement.

Chloé laughs. "'Wasn't bad'? It sounded like a cat being strangled. I haven't heard anything worse in my life, and I just spent the last half-hour listening to screamo songs about unicorns."

Rose and Juleka turn their attention to Chloé.

"That wasn't very nice," Juleka chides softly, wrapping an arm around Rose.

"Yeah, what's wrong with our songs?"

Chloé is too busy laughing to respond. Marek sneaks away from the girls, his face red. He ducks into the interior of the boat to find a place to hide until his embarrassment is forgotten.

***

Light spills into a dark room as the metal shutters pull away. Pure white butterflies take to the air as the dazzling daylight pours over them. Amongst the insects, Hawkmoth stands proudly, an amused smile on his lips.

"Ah, Chloé, I can always count on you."

Hawkmoth beckons to his butterflies. One lands on his outstretched hand. The villain sends dark magic into the innocent creature. He sends his newly made akuma away with the call, "Fly, my little akuma, and evilize him!"

***

The akuma finds Marek in his hiding spot, the oboe forgotten but still clutched in his hands. It lands on the instrument and melts into the polished wood. A hologram of a butterfly frames Marek's face.

"Sheepish, your embarrassment forced you to hide. Now you can make everyone feel the same. All I ask in return in that you take Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses."

"Yes, Hawkmoth."


	3. Injury

"Alright everyone, let's continue with practice," Rose calls.

Adrien downs the remainder of his water and gets to his feet. Movement out of the corner of his eye draws his attention. Luka stands in front of Marinette. Alya, Nino, and a boy who looks vaguely familiar sit nearby. The model scrutinizes Luka. It's obvious the guitarist has an interest in Marinette, but it doesn't appear that she returns the feeling. Adrien gives the girl a quick glance. Or maybe she does. Which means Marinette is being torn in three different directions. Adrien winces in sympathy for his friend, but he's done all he can for now. She knows that Adrien likes someone else, and Cat Noir told her that he loves Ladybug. Hopefully, that means she can move on soon.

The familiar looking boy speaks up, breaking Adrien from his thoughts. "Has anyone seen Marek?"

Marinette glances around. "No, I haven't seen him in a while." She leans over until she spots Juleka. "You and Rose talked to him last, didn't you?"

"And Chloé," Juleka answers, shooting the blonde a pointed glance.

Rose jumps in, "Chloé said some mean things to Marek. I didn't see where he went after, though."

"Unless he left, he's probably inside somewhere," Luka finishes.

Évrard glances between the three and the door. "I'm going to go check."

Luka nods and the musicians continue moving toward the stage. Évrard goes into the ship as the first few notes of the song start blasting. The sound is mostly muffled by the walls, but the volume is still impressive.

Évrard moves room to room calling his friend's name as he goes. He finally finds Marek in what looks to be a closet. Words die on his lips when he sees him. Though the person in the room is obviously Marek, wooly legs and cloven hooves are a clear sign that something is wrong. His messy hair has grown curly and his shirt has been replaced with brown wool jerkin. Horns curl out of his head. Évrard steps back into the hallway. Sheepish brings the object in his hand, a reed pipe, to his mouth. He plays a quick thrill before Évrard can run away.

Thoughts of Évrard's last English test grade flood his mind, along with the shame he thought he'd gotten rid of. Without giving Sheepish another look, Évrard runs off to find Marinette.

The door banging open does little to draw attention to the panicked boy. He rushes over to his tutor, surprising her.

"Marinette, can we review my homework again?"

The girl looks up at Évrard with wide eyes. "Now? Why?"

"I need to make sure I'm doing better."

Marinette flicks her eyes toward the door. "Did you find Marek?"

"Yes, but that's not important right now," he presses.

She gets to her feet. "What happened? Did Marek do something to you?"

"He played some weird flute or something. Can you look over my work now?"

"Just give me a minute," Marinette says. She gestures for Alya to follow her. The other girl brings out her phone, having overheard the conversation.

"Do you think it's a villain?" Alya asks.

"Sounds like," Marinette answers.

A light clip-clop coming from the open door causes the girls to stop. Alya turns her phone camera on and Marek appears from the doorway. Seeing new targets, he plays a short tune on his pipes. Alya and Marinette stiffen; Alya raises a hand to her face while Marinette glances over her shoulder at Adrien before hiding behind her friend. Fighting her tightened throat, Marinette calls out, "Marek's been akumatized!"

The band isn't able to hear her warning, but Nino and Chloé are. Shooting the girls a concerned look, Nino rushes over to Adrien. The music fumbles to a stop as he waves his hands and calls out to be heard over it.

"What is it, Nino?" Adrien asks.

The DJ points back toward Sheepish. "Dude, we have a villain!"

The members of the band all turn their heads to look in the direction Nino pointed. Sheepish sounds another few notes once he has their attention. Adrien covers his ears in time, but the rest of the boat hears the tune. Everyone's demeanor changes at once. Chloé starts to frantically mess with her hair and clothes, insisting that something is wrong with them in a slightly panicked voice; Nino straightens up and tenses his jaw; Rose turns red and ducks behind Juleka; Juleka turns her head down and tries to make herself invisible, all the while the two hold hands to comfort each other; and Luka fiddles with his guitar, avoiding eye contact.

Adrien glances at everyone, his hands over his ear protectively. "What's going on?"

"Marek's been akumatized," Alya explains calmly. She backs away from Sheepish cautiously as the villain studies the group. Her hand still covers part of her face. Marinette, though continuing to hide behind Alya, appears to be acting normal.

"Who's Marek?" Adrien asks.

"Friend of the kid Marinette's tutoring," she answers. "Chloé made fun of him and now he's got goat legs."

"Sheep," Marinette corrects, speaking up for the first time.

Sheepish spots Chloé then, still trying to fix her appearance. Grinning malevolently, he slowly approaches her. "How does it feel, Chloé? How do you like being so embarrassed you want to run and hide?" He brings his pipes to his mouth.

"No!" Marinette detaches herself from Alya to stop Sheepish from playing. She grabs onto the reed pipes and tries to pull them out of the villain's hands. Out of the suit, however, Sheepish is stronger than her. He stamps his hoof on her foot, causing Marinette to cry out in pain and release the pipes. She falls onto her knee, clutching her injured foot.

Alya rushes forward to pull her friend away from the villain before he can do any more damage. Sheepish plays on his pipes quickly, before anyone else can interrupt. This time the music feels focused, angry.

Chloé stills and her eyes grow wet. Adrien recoils in surprise. It's been years since he's seen her so vulnerable.

"Why am I so bad at being nice to people?" she cries beseechingly. "Even when I try, I end up hurting people I care about."

"Try not insulting them," Sheepish suggests.

"I don't care that I hurt you!" Chloé snaps. "But I caused Sabrina to be akumatized, I forgot about Ms. Bustier's birthday, and Adrien said we wouldn't be friends anymore if I don't start being nicer."

"Not insulting people is being nicer," Sheepish states.

Chloé huddles on the ground with her hands over her head. Sheepish surveys the ship one last time before trotting out to attack the rest of Paris. Adrien makes his way to Chloé's side.

"I'm sorry," she whimpers. "I really am trying."

"I know you are." Adrien offers Chloé a hand up. Still sniffling, the girl takes it. Adrien helps her to her feet and finds her a place to sit. "I'll be right back," he assures her. "I just need to check on everyone else."

Chloé nods meekly.

Alya and Marinette are closest, so Adrien goes to them first. He kneels down next to the girls, Alya on her phone scanning frantically through something and Marinette still holding her injured foot while trying to ask Alya something.

"Are you sure they don't look stupid?" she presses. "I mean, gray with pastel pink--what was I thinking?"

Adrien furrows his brow. "Marinette, are you okay?"

Her head whips around at his voice. After the initial surprise passes, the young fashion designer's eyes lock onto his. "Adrien, your dad's a fashion designer. Be honest, do my clothes look stupid?"

The blond blinks, confused. "They look fine, Marinette. But what about your foot?"

She looks down at her injured extremity in shock. In her frantic need to assure herself of her design ability, she had forgotten all about it. Marinette prods the swelling at the top of her foot, wincing at even the lightest pressure. "Well, I don't think it's broken, but I don't want to try walking on it."

"What about Alya?" The reporter has been oddly unresponsive. As focused as she can get, it's not like Alya to just ignore Marinette.

The black haired girl glances at her friend, craning her next to see what she's looking at. Alya is thumbing through the Ladyblog at a rate almost faster than Marinette can read. "Alya?" she tries. When that garners no response, Marinette shakes the other girl lightly.

Though she doesn't look away from her phone, Alya does finally speak. "What is it?"

"What are you doing?" Marinette wonders.

"I'm reading through the Ladyblog."

"I can see that. Why?"

Alya chews her lip and actually looks away from the screen to meet Marinette's eyes. "Why do people come to my blog? Do they actually like my writing, or is it just because I'm lucky enough to be the one to film Ladybug most of the time. I rode the wave of my video being the first video of her to launch the Ladyblog, I get better footage of the fights than the news stations, but do the readers actually care about what I have to say."

"Of course they do. You're an excellent writer, Alya," Marinette assures her. "You get the information across while keeping the article interesting. You could start a blog about anything and people will come."

The nervous energy finally leaves Alya's eyes. She smiles. "Thanks, girl. And for the record, I think the clothes you make are amazing and I can't wait to see my dress."

"I'll need to have you come in for a fitting soon. You can see it then," Marinette laughs. "Now, don't you have footage to go capture."

"That's right!" Alya scrambles to her feet, stopping to offer Marinette a hand up. "Are you going to be okay."

"I'll manage," she assures her friend. Her foot doesn't hurt as bad as she thought it would when she puts weight on it, but Marinette still keeps most of it balanced over her uninjured foot. She reaches out unconsciously to Adrien for support.

Alya starts to back towards the gangplank, a smirk on her face at the move. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Now go!"

Alya runs after the wooly villain.

"You need to keep off that foot," Adrien tells Marinette. "Once we find you a place to sit, I want you to stay there until Ladybug fixes things. Got it?"

Marinette nods. Adrien's protectiveness, coupled with Cat's, still strikes her as strange, but she doesn't see anything to be gained from arguing with him right now. If it ever really becomes a problem, that's when she'll protest. Right now, however, she's touched by how concerned he is about her.

Adrien leaves Marinette where she'd been sitting previously. As none of the others on the boat seem to be as bad off as Chloé or Marinette, Adrien decides he doesn't really have time to talk with them all. He goes to Chloé, who seems to have calmed down somewhat while he was taking care of Marinette.

"I'm going to track down Alya, see if she needs any help," he lies. She's too exhausted to argue.

"Be careful," Chloé murmurs, almost too low for him to hear.

Adrien grins. "I will be."

With one last glance around the deck, Adrien races off after Alya and Sheepish. Marinette watches until he's gone from sight. Getting gently to her feet, she hobbles off of the boat. Each step sends a stab of pain through the top of her foot, but she keeps walking until she finds an alley to duck into.

Tikki zips out of the purse, her expression dripping with concern. "Are you alright, Marinette? Can you be Ladybug with that foot?"

"I have to be," Marinette answers. "Besides, it doesn't hurt that bad." Tikki doesn't look convinced. Marinette tries another tactic. "If I don't become Ladybug, Marek is going to be stuck as a villain and Cat Noir will have to face him on his own. Cat can't capture the akuma and I don't want another Stoneheart situation."

The kwami sighs. "If you're sure."

"I'll be fine," her Chosen assures with a smile. "Tikki, spots on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried really hard to find a mythical creature to base Sheepish's design on but the only ovine creatures I could find were entirely sheep--like the Golden Ram mentioned in the second Percy Jackson book. I wanted Sheepish to be part sheep, part person, so I just made him a satyr with sheep legs. As to Marinette's injury, I've been stepped on by goats before, so I tried to imagine what it would feel like if they actually tried to step on my foot instead of just accidentally doing so while mobbing me for food.


	4. Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final anxiety attack warning.

Adrien jogs a few streets away before he feels comfortable transforming. He also slips into a narrow alley. Plagg floats lazily out of his pocket, masking his worry with nonchalance. His Chosen might not realize it, but Ladybug is hurt. Plagg doesn't know the girl all that well, but she's probably stubborn enough to not only transform but to try to help fight as well. It had worked out okay when it had been Adrien who was injured, but even Plagg can't help feeling concerned.

"We should probably find you some earplugs," he suggests.

"I don't have time," Adrien argues. "I can fight through whatever embarrassment the villain forces on me if I have to. It can't be that bad."

Plagg shakes his head. "I don't know. You saw what he did to those girls. That seemed more than just embarrassment."

"Yeah, but they got through it, mostly."

Plagg sighs. He's not going to be able to get through to Adrien. "Alright, let's go."

"Don't worry, Plagg, I already promised Chloé I'd be careful." Adrien grins. "Plagg, claws out!"

Cat Noir follows the alley to its other opening, coming out onto a street rife with chaos. Sheepish is no longer here, but evidence of his presence is clear. Everyone who had been outside when he came through is now acting strangely: some hiding, some fidgeting with something, and some outright crying. The ones who were lucky enough to be inside when he went by continue to hide, with a few making cautious expeditions to rescue people nearby.

Cat approaches a small group of these people as one of them tries to calm a panicking woman. "Did any of you see which way the villain went?"

An older member of the group answers, pointing away from the Seine. "He went in that direction."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, Cat Noir. Good luck with this one."

The superhero nods and runs off in the direction the man had pointed. He extends his staff to fly over the rooftops. At the peak of his leap, Cat Noir spots a red blur heading the same direction. He stops atop a roof to let Ladybug catch up. She lands heavily on one foot but manages to appear graceful nonetheless.

Cat Noir bows playfully. "Fleeced see you, my lady."

"That one is a little forced, don't you think?" she teases.

"Eh, not all of them can be the grand champion." Cat smirks.

Ladybug scrutinizes her partner. "That feels like a joke."

"The grand champion is the winning lamb," he explains.

"You are so weird sometimes," she comments, giggling.

"But you love it," Cat Noir tries.

Ladybug smiles but doesn't answer. "Don't we have a villain to catch?"

The dark hero pushes back his disappointment. It's not like she said no. "Do you know where he is?"

"Not currently." Ladybug palms her yo-yo and opens it up to the Ladyblog. "But now I do. Let's go." She flings the yo-yo in a similar direction to where Cat Noir had been heading earlier, launching off of the roof on the same foot she had landed on. Cat follows her close behind. They find the villain preparing to terrorize another street. Cat Noir leaps down to stop him before he can.

Still remembering the effects of Marek's playing and feeling the pain in her foot, Ladybug is less eager to jump into the fray. She lands a few yards away as her partner and the villain fight.

Cat Noir swings his baton in an attempt to knock the reed pipes from Sheepish's hands. The villain ducks, the weapon glancing off of his curved horns. He skitters back a few paces to distance himself from Cat's next attack.

"Ah, Ladybug, Cat Noir. You finally showed up. I was starting to think you were too chicken to face me," he crows.

"The chicken was two villains baa-ck," Cat comments. "And I guess you're the goat?"

"Sheep! My name is Sheepish!" Sheepish snaps.

The dark hero shrugs. "Sheep, goat. They both baa and have horns. Though I do have a question: Why do you have a tail?"

Ladybug glances down to see that Sheepish does, indeed, have a tail--not the little bobtail she'd expected, but a long one, like a cat's tail covered in wool. When Sheepish does the same, Cat Noir charges forward.

Sheepish stumbles out of the way of Cat's attack. The hero changes the direction of his swing, the baton clipping the villain on his horns. The blow stuns him. Cat Noir stops. Pivoting, he faces the wooly satyr once again. Ladybug throws her yo-yo in an attempt to capture Sheepish. He snaps out of his daze just in time to dodge the string. Cat leaps over it, his staff raised high. Sheepish blocks the hit with his pipes. He kicks Cat Noir's legs when he lands, causing the hero to lose his grip on his weapon.

The villain takes the opportunity to retreat. He runs down the road surprisingly quickly. Cat Noir leaps after him, leaving Ladybug to swing after the both of them. She reaches Sheepish first, landing in front of him with a minor stumble.

He slides to a stop. Sheepish glances back over his shoulder at Cat Noir, still a way's back from the two of them. Seizing the chance, Sheepish raises his pips to his lips and plays a quick tune before Ladybug can stop him. A sudden, cold panic grips her limbs. Ladybug is frozen in place, her breath coming in short pants. The world around her grows hazy and disappears as she fights the urge to find a secluded place to curl up and hide.

     _You're not fit to be a hero. You've always known this._ The words assault her, her own voice but scornful. _Look at you, unable to fight this one villain because your foot hurts. Pathetic. Cat Noir would be better off with another partner. You said that from the very beginning, but you let your pride convince you otherwise. You're selfish, pathetic, and worst of all, worthless. You've done nothing to stop Hawkmoth. You just clean up his messes. How long are you going to force the citizens of Paris to suffer his attacks just to make yourself feel needed? How long are you going to put Cat Noir in danger just because you want a friend?_

_Selfish!_

_Pathetic!_

_Worthless!_

A surprise touch causes Ladybug to leap away. The voice dies back for the moment as she tries to make sense her surroundings. Sheepish is nowhere to be seen. Ladybug squeezes her eyes shut. _Pathetic, pathetic,_ she berates herself.

"Are you okay, Ladybug?" Cat Noir's voice brings her out of mind. He stands up, his hand still outstretched as if to touch her but hovering a few inches from her arm, unwilling to startle her again. His eyes flash worriedly over her face as he searches for a reason for her odd behaviour. He'd never seen Ladybug this vulnerable, not even when Stoneheart reappeared.

"I-I..." She shakes her head. She can't even answer.

"What happened?" Cat presses.

Ladybug scrambles to put her words together in a way that makes sense. "Sheepish... His pipes..."

A flicker of understanding lightens his expression. If whatever is happening to his lady is villain induced, he can do something about it.

"Just stay here," he tells her, his voice relaxed. "I'll take care of the villain this time around."

_Worthless!_

Ladybug's vision starts to blur again as Cat's words confirm what her mind had been telling her earlier.

"No. I can still fight Sheepish!"

Her voice sounds desperate even to her own ears.

Cat Noir moves as if to lay his hands on her shoulders only to stop himself. He instead holds them awkwardly by his sides. "Ladybug, you've fought plenty of villains on your own. You've even had to fight me. Let me make it up to you. You're not any less of a hero just because a villain manages to trip you up. My job is to protect you, Ladybug, so let me do this."

His tone of voice made it so she couldn't argue even if she wasn't affected by Sheepish's power. The small part of her mind that's managed to stay rational recognizes Cat's words as her--Marinette's--own. Ladybug finally nods, the tension leaving her body, her limbs shaky and unsteady from the sudden rush and then absence of adrenaline. She calls for a Lucky Charm. If she can't be in the fight, hopefully, whatever she summons can be of help.

A sealed packet containing spotted earplugs lands in her hands. A little on the nose, but it works. Ladybug hands them to Cat Noir. "Just be careful, okay? Don't let Sheepish get to you," she requests.

Cat Noir smirks. "You don't have to worry about me, my lady. I've got catlike reflexes."

Ladybug smiles tiredly. "Just go already."

"I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail. Try not to miss me too much."

Without a backward glance, the dark hero jogs down the street and springs away with the use of his baton. Ladybug slips into an alley to calm down. She leans against a wall, the cold bricks grounding her, keeping her from descending into panic again. Though it doesn't take long for her strength to return, Ladybug is hesitant to leave the safety of the alley. She reminds herself that Cat Noir can take care of himself and that she'd agreed to stay out of this fight, but her guilty conscious still nags at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think Adrien would know much about the world of livestock shows, but I just really wanted to get that grand champion joke in. And if y'all weren't aware, sheep do actually have long tails. The shorter tail you generally see on older sheep are cropped.


	5. Almost Halfway There

It doesn't take long for Cat Noir to track down Sheepish. Perching on top of a building, Cat takes a moment to survey the scene. It's normally Ladybug who thinks up a plan, but that doesn't mean that Cat Noir is incapable of doing so. He just has severely less practice. Now that he is safe from Sheepish's power, however, it shouldn't take much to get the pipes away from the villain. Then he's just got to race back to Ladybug before Sheepish can catch him. Easy.

Cat Noir takes a nervous breath before plunging down onto the street below. Sheepish's back is to him, which Cat takes advantage of. He swings his baton diagonally toward Sheepish's left shoulder. The blow staggers the villain. Before he can retaliate or even turn around, Cat Noir kicks Sheepish down onto the pavement. He keeps the villain pined with his baton as he works his way toward Sheepish's hands.

"I know it was a bit of a sheep shot, but you deserve it for what you did to Ladybug." Despite the pun, Cat Noir's tone is less than playful.

"Everyone needs to feel how I feel!" Sheepish cries.

Cat Noir snags the pipes for Sheepish's grip and slides it into his belt. "So you're a little embarrassed, that doesn't mean you can take it out on all of Paris." Cat realizes it's not really Marek's fault that all of this happened but the sight of Ladybug collapsing in on herself it still burned into his mind. "Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd just stay here and make it easier on everyone."

A light in the shape of a butterfly appears in front of Sheepish's face. Cat Noir tenses. "But what about my revenge?!" Sheepish growls, writhing under Cat's hold. The light fades, leaving Sheepish looking even angrier than before. The villain shoots out a hand and grabs onto Cat Noir's ankle. He pulls the superhero off balance, giving himself an opportunity to scramble to his feet. Sheepish lashes out at Cat with his sharp hooves. The first few blows glance painfully off the hero's legs. A desperate swipe of his baton chases away the satyr for a short moment, but Sheepish springs forward again before Cat Noir can collect himself. Sheepish makes a few grabs for his pipes but Cat manages to keep the weapon away from him. Cat Noir slashes at Sheepish again, this time retreating in almost the same movement.

At first, it looks like Sheepish is hot on Cat Noir's tail. The superhero is just starting to scramble for a plan when the clip-clop of cloven hooves stops. Cat doesn't stop to look until he's safely perched atop a roof.

The villain is clutching at his head, the butterfly hologram in front of his face again. It almost looks like he's in pain.

Cat doesn't dwell on the strange scene for long. He checks that the pipes are still secured to his belt and then races back to where he left Ladybug.

***

Though Ladybug trust Cat Noir to be able to take on the villain himself, Ladybug can't help fighting against the feeling that she should be there with him. But right when she convinces herself to chase after her partner, a competing feeling tells her that she'll just drag Cat Noir down. He only ever gets hurt protecting her, after all. No matter what Ladybug tries to tell herself, she's locked in this cycle until the light _thud!_ of her partner's boots on the street outside startles her back into the present.

"Ladybug?" he calls.

Shakily, the hero gets to her feet and carefully makes her way out of the alley. "I'm here, Cat Noir." He races over to her. His concern causes Ladybug to feel a pang of guilt.

Cat Noir fishes Sheepish's reed pipes out of his belt. "I got the akuma. You just need to purify it now."

Ladybug smiles. "Good job, Kitty."

Cat Noir predictably starts to preen. "It was nothing, my lady."

Ladybug has to fight to keep the smile on her face. Cat's words aren't confirmation that he's better off alone, just him bragging. Still, Ladybug takes the pipes without a word. She just wants to finish this fight so she can go back to being Marinette for a while. Ladybug pauses, surprised by her motivation. Usually, she enjoys being Ladybug. But Marinette has less pressure to worry about. She shakes her head. Her power should fix her head. If it doesn't, she can talk about it with Tikki later.

Cat watches Ladybug worriedly. Finally, she snaps the pipes over her knee and purifies the akuma. He hands over his earplugs for her to toss into the air. Ladybugs swarm Paris, hopefully putting everything back to normal.

"Are you okay now, my lady?" Cat Noir wonders.

Ladybug nods, her previous feeling of fragility gone, though she still feels exhausted. And she can put weight on her injured foot again. "I'm feeling fine now, Kitty. Thank you."

"Happy to help," he replies. His voice is heavy enough with emotion that Ladybug has to look away. A sharp _beep!_ from Ladybug's earrings ends the moment.  
"I've got to get going."

"Until next time, Ladybug."

The two share a belated fist-bump before Ladybug races off. Cat Noir heads back the way he came to check on the freshly de-transformed Marek. He offers a hand to the confused boy. Marek takes it, glancing around to try to orientate himself.

"I guess I got akumatized," he reasons.

"Yeah, but Ladybug and I took care of it."

Marek grins shyly. "I'm sorry for causing you two so much trouble."

Cat shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. It's Hawkmoth's fault, not yours." He glances toward the direction of the boat. "Do you want a lift anywhere?"

"Ah, if you could take me to the Seine. I was with some friends there."

Cat Noir flashes a grin. "No problem."


	6. Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think my writing style changed while writing this chapter so I apologize if it's a bit jarring.

            Marinette races back to the boat. Adrien is supposed to be with Alya following Sheepish but she still wants to be at the boat before he gets back. No need to make him more suspicious than he already is. When she gets there, she sees her recently de-affected friends breaking down the band's set up and talking in low voices. Even Chloé is helping, looking slightly sheepish--Marinette has been spending way too much time with Cat Noir--having caused yet another akuma. Rose is the first to spot Marinette as she climbs aboard.

            "Marinette!" the petite blonde yells. She rushes over, throwing her arms around Marinette joyfully. "Where did you go?"

            Marinette swallows hard. She'd been hoping that everyone would be too distracted by their own embarrassments to really care where she went. "I wanted to find a place to hide," she lies. "Sheepish made me doubt my design ability, so I didn't want anyone to see what I was wearing."

            Rose steps back to look up at Marinette in disbelief. "But you're an amazing designer, Marinette!"

            Marinette smiles at the other girl. "Thanks, Rose." The two make their way across the deck to where the others are. "I guess you guys aren't continuing band practice today," she observes once they've reached them.

            Luka, who overhears, shakes his head. "We've got enough practice done for today. I think everyone just wants to go home."

            Évrard speaks up from the edge of the group. "I'm sorry about Marek. I know he didn't mean for any of this to happen."

_"_ No one expects to be akumatized," Marinette assures him. She almost directs the blame to Chloé, but she looks contrite enough as is. "No one blames Marek."

            As if awaiting a signal, Cat Noir drops out of the sky carrying Marek. The superhero releases him but doesn't leave right away. His eyes scan the group, pausing as they land on Marinette. Marinette rolls her eyes, though a touched smile tugs at her lips.

            Both of their attentions are broken by Marek thanking Cat Noir again.

            "Just stay out of trouble," the hero requests.

            "I will."

            Cat Noir waves to the others on the boat before springing away. Alya climbs aboard not a minute later, her attention on her phone. Marinette runs over to her friend.

            "Did Adrien ever catch up with you?" the girl wonders.

            Alya glances up from reviewing her footage. "Adrien? No, I never saw him." Seeing her friend's concern, Alya puts her hand on Marinette's shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine. If I didn't see him, he probably never ended up near enough to Sheepish to get affected. And even if he did, Ladybug fixed everything. Adrien's fine."

            Marinette nods. Now it's her turn to be suspicious. Where could Adrien have run off to? Just the thought of him lying to her rankles Marinette. There's nothing she hates more than a liar, besides Hawkmoth. But maybe he had a good reason to. Goodness knows Marinette's done more than her fair of share of lying to protect her identity as Ladybug. And it's not like there's any special reason Adrien should share his secrets with Marinette. They may be friends, but they're nowhere near as close as he is with Nino.

            While Marinette is mulling over that, Adrien finally arrives. Alya pounces on the boy before Marinette is even aware he's back.

            "Where did you wander off to?"

            Adrien shoots Alya and Marinette a panicked look. Wherever he'd gone, it's obvious he hasn't thought up a cover story. "Ah, I have a crush on Ladybug," he tries weakly.

            Marinette flushes red though she knows he's lying. She can't confront him on that while Alya's around--no need for her to think Marinette has a crush on Cat Noir too--so she just glares at Adrien. Whatever he's lying about had better be really important.

            Alya looks back at Marinette and becomes visibly startled by the other girl's unexpected expression. "Ah, good luck with that, Adrien." Alya drags Marinette to the other side of the boat. Nino takes their place by Adrien, welcoming the other boy back with exuberance. "Are you okay, Marinette?" Alya wonders.

            Marinette drops her look of irritation at Alya's question. "Yeah. Why?"

            "'Why?' Because Adrien just admitted to having a crush on Ladybug and you looked like you were about to wring his neck!"

            "I don't think he's telling the truth," Marinette admits after a second. "And you know I don't like lying."

            A confused look shoots across Alya's face. "But you've never gotten _angry_ when someone's lied before."

            Marinette has to bite her lip to keep from bringing up Lila. That girl must have a superpower all her own to be able to trick everyone in school so easily. Why Adrien doesn't fall for her lies is beyond Marinette. She's just grateful that someone else knows she's a liar as well. Still, unable to use Lila as an example nor explain that Adrien's lie had to be inspired by her own, Marinette is at a loss to explain just why she's ticked off by his lie.

            "I get that there's something Adrien doesn't want to tell us," she finally says, "but it's dangerous to run off when there's a villain around." Marinette adopts a genuine hurt expression. "Besides, I wish he trusted me enough to tell me the truth."

            Alya throws an arm around Marinette's shoulders. "I'd say let the boy have his secrets, but you're right. It's too dangerous to run off during an attack and not tell someone where you're going. How'd you know he's lying, anyway?" Alya adds.

            "Um." Marinette's eyes widen as she scrambles for a reason. "He said it too easily. If he really likes Ladybug and was trying to keep it a secret, he wouldn't have admitted it like that," she says quickly.

            "You would know," Alya teases.

            Marinette chuckles nervously. Though she knows Alya's referring to her crush on Adrien, Marinette was talking about her lie about liking Cat Noir. Wanting to get out of this conversation, Marinette makes the excuse of wanting to say goodbye to everyone before she leaves to get away from Alya.

            "Are you really okay?" Luka asks when she gets to him.

            Marinette shrugs. She's tired of all the lies. "No. But it's nothing Sheepish did. I'm dealing with something different." Though the anxiety attack she had earlier as Ladybug really did exhaust her.

            "I'm here if you want to talk," he offers.

            Marinette smiles up at him. "Thanks. Today, though, I just want to lay down."

            Luka chuckles. "I think we're all in agreement on that."

            Marinette almost considers skipping Adrien but that would probably be too unfair. She'll just walk over and say, 'See you later,' and leave. He's used to her not saying much anyway.

            "I know you lied." Or she could just say that. Marinette hurries to clamp her hands over her mouth but the words are already out. She blushes a bright red as Adrien looks down at her with the most surprised expression.

            His own face grows red as he gives an embarrassed laugh. "Actually, I didn't. I do love Ladybug." Marinette squeaks. "But you're right. That's not where I was."

            Marinette lowers her hands and studies the boy in front of her. "Why did you lie?"

            "I can't tell you."

            She sighs. "I can accept that. But you shouldn't run off when a villain's around."

            Adrien raises his brow. "Like you?"

            It takes a moment before Marinette can respond again. "How about this?" she proposes a little too brightly. She really hates that crush lie now. "Neither of us will run off during a villain attack again."

            Adrien spends a little too long thinking about it. Eventually, he does offer his hand to shake. "It's a deal."

            Marinette grins, taking Adrien's hand. She's probably going to regret this later, but at least Adrien will be safe.

            "I've got to say goodbye to Évrard and Marek before I go. I'll see you at school?"

            "See you at school."

            It isn't until Marinette has her back turned to Adrien that she remembers his confession. He's in love with Ladybug! But her mixed feelings about that can be dealt with later.


End file.
